Maya Abdominal Massage

Hi friends!

Since starting down this road to a more natural way of improving my overall (and hopefully reproductive) health, I’ve incorporated dietary changes, specific supplements, home care techniques like femoral massage, Chinese herbs, and acupuncture.

It’s only been three weeks with the herbs and acu-treatments, and about two months with the diet and lifestyle changes. So far, so good!

While reading The Infertility Cure, and doing some research on natural ways to help improve fertility, I came across a handful of articles on Maya Abdominal Massage, or Arvigo Massage.

The premise sounded interesting, and complementary with the TCM route I’m already on: The techniques work to restore the body to its natural balance by correcting the position of organs that have shifted and restrict the flow of blood, lymph, nerve and chi energy.

After reading more and researching practitioners in the US, I found that there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of them in the Midwest; however, there isone right here in the Toledo suburbs! Score!

I checked out the massage studio’s website and did a little review check on the practitioner, and once I was satisfied that I wasn’t going to be seeing a quack, I made an appointment.

By the way… I made this appointment almost a month ago. It turns out, should you also decide to book an abdominal massage, that reputable therapists recommend having ab massage done right about the time your period ends. They don’t want to massage too close to ovulation, too close to the first couple days of your cycle, or at all in the luteal phase.

Makes sense. No problems there. Appointment made.

I should note that I was sure to run this idea by Dr. McStabby, because his treatments are my top priority and I don’t want to disrupt anything he’s doing with some whimsical South American belly rub. He said that in his opinion, anything that increases the blood flow to the abdomen in my case is a good thing. He wanted to be sure the massage would only be done pre-ovulation, about which I assured him that it would.

The only word of warning I received from the acu-doc was that I may not like someone massaging my abdominal region. At first I thought he meant that I wouldn’t like the way it felt physically, which I admit was a concern, but he meant something different. He told me that many times, women tend to push their stress, anxiety, anger, and emotions down into the abdominal region, which is why we see IBS so much more in women than in men.

He said that men tend to only push emotion down to their heart, which is why we see outbursts of temper, fighting, and heart attacks more with men, and IBS, nausea, and nervous diarrhea more with women.

Acu-doc also said sometimes with abdominal massage, the manipulation of that area can cause some of those emotions to become… dislodged, causing a surge of feeling that might come unexpectedly.

Now that struck me as odd, especially as a girl who is so NOT a crier… but I still went ahead with the appointment.

Okay, so onto the actual appointment day…

I showed up to meet the therapist in my work clothes (because I’d just come from the office), but had brought a bag of other things like sweat pants and a tank top. I wasn’t sure how much I would be wearing or not wearing, considering the very different clothing requirements for a traditional relaxation massage where I’m almost totally nude, and my acu-treatments, for which I am fully clothed in comfy lounge-wear.

As it turned out, the therapist and I met for a bit before the massage started. We went over the pile of paperwork I’d done, the questions oddly similar to those asked by the acu-doc. She asked me specifics about my diet and digestion, and asked me for details on my miscarriage, which I provided.

After that, she left me alone to get undressed – the clothing requirements are exactly the same as a relaxation massage – and climb into a soft, heated massage table-slash-bed. Very cozy.

Once she came back into the room, I was made to feel very comfortable; the therapist said that this was the start of a relationship between her and I, and that I should not feel any anxiety in asking to be more comfortable within the studio. I was in control of the lighting, music volume, and temperature, and could ask for extra blankets or anything I needed to relax.

She also said that I could talk, fall asleep, or ask as many questions as I liked… which is nice, because I ask a lot of questions.

*cough*understatement*cough*

After we had talked a bit, she placed some heavy towels over my chest and shoulders, and over my abdomen, after which she pulled the bed sheets down to expose my belly, but nothing else. Before she did anything, she used her hands to feel for any hot or cool spots in my abdomen, saying that she can sometimes feel where trouble areas might be.

…Very interesting.

Once she started the massage, it was very gentle. She felt around for the locations of my different organs, pointing out where my anatomy was to me. I liked knowing where things are… It’s very different from your high school anatomy class when it’s your own body!

She asked me some really spot-on questions, too! She asked if anyone ever told me I had a tilted uterus, and I said YES. She said that not only is it tilted backwards, but it’s also tipped to one side, causing one of my ovaries to be sort of out of place as well. This coincides exactlywith what every ultrasound tech who’s ever wanded me has said!

Again, very interesting!

She said a lot of her focus would be on bringing my uterus back to where it needs to be. She said that having organs out of place can absolutely cause blood flow and circulation issues, so once this is corrected, overall circulation in the body will improve as well. She did say that femoral massage, and acupuncture and herbs will be a big help in this as well.

So far, so good. I didn’t mind the feeling of someone massaging my abdomen, and it was actually a bit relaxing once I got past asking a thousand questions.

Some parts were weird, though. The therapist kept referring to my uterus as a “she”, and telling me that I could talk to “her” and tell her that I am trying to conceive, and that “she” would listen… Uhh… okay, lady.

She also did this weird rocking motion, sort of rocking my whole abdominal region, and said that it was actually the pulse of my body trying to “unwind” some areas that were all wound up… Again… very weird.

She also asked me more about my miscarriage – how long ago it happened, how many weeks pregnant was I, the details of the actual miscarriage, did I have a d&c, etc… She said she could tell that I need to make peace with the loss, and she did this weird thing where she put one hand above, and one below my belly button and sort of pressed down gently.

She said she felt like the baby was a girl… and I said, so did I.

Of course it was too early to really know, but that was always my feeling. At that point, I cried, even though I am NOT a crier. AT ALL. But maybe she was right about needing to make peace…

She did confirm what the AP said about women holding emotion in their digestive region. Funny, because every time I am super stressed or nervous, I have terrible diarrhea, nausea, and most of the time, vomiting. I lost 10lbs before my wedding, completely because of the stress of it, and I spent the morning of my wedding day running to the bathroom.

Maybe there’s something to that theory…

After that part, she went into a more thorough exploration of my whole abdominal area. She felt around the bottom of my rib cage, along my sides, and down as far as my pubic bone, taking stock of the locations of organs.

Another interesting thing: while she was massaging, she said she felt a few little bubbles pop, like bubble wrap, that she was sure were adhesions. I told her I’d always wondered if I had endometriosis, and she said that I might, but that she felt that she had broken up at least 3 decent sized adhesions with the massage.

Part of me doubts this is possible, but then again, who knows…?

Once it was almost over, she said that she felt I’d made great progress, and that my uterus had shifted a lot and felt like it wanted to move back to its natural location. She also said that my next AF may be a bit strange, maybe with more or fewer clots, or maybe some discharge that looks like coffee grounds. Apparently that’s completely normal, and just the body’s way of “cleaning house” and preparing for a healthy new start.

Just before she left the room, she taught me some self-care techniques to use at home. One was a way of breathing from the belly instead of the lungs, which I’m having a hard time mastering. Another is a way to keep better posture in mind throughout the day, so as not to compress the organs and give them room to do their thing.

She talked to me about water intake and said that the naturopathic way is to take in half your body weight in ounces each day; so if you weigh 150lbs, you should be drinking 75oz of water each day. She also said that chugging water won’t do you any good unless you really like to pee. The best way, apparently, is to take 5 or 6 glugs every half hour or so throughout the whole day.

She also taught me some self-massage techniques: one is just a very simple circular massage starting around the belly button and getting wider over the whole abdominal area. The other is a sort of “scooping” motion that starts right above the pubic bone and is said to help encourage the uterus to come back into position. That second one is not to be practiced after ovulation.

After that, she brought me some water and a peppermint patty (yay!) and left me to get dressed.

I have to say, I felt pretty good after the massage. Loose and less tense, in the way that you feel after a relaxation massage, only it wasn’t my shoulders… it was my abdomen.

Some of it was a little strange (okay, some of it was reallystrange), but I think you have to take the weird with a grain of salt. It was more good than weird, and I really liked the therapist. She was very warm and pleasant, and although I have a hard time wrapping my head around some of what she said, I do think it will be beneficial to keep seeing her.

She recommends once-a-month treatment for at least 3 months to see a real difference, and the cost was only a tiny bit higher than I’d pay for a relaxation massage, so I’m going to keep with it.

Will this help me conceive?

I have no idea.

Will it maybe help me to relax a little, encourage blood flow to my pelvic region, and make me feel like I’m actively contributing my own health and healing?

Yes.

It might be a little weird, but I’m giving it a shot.

Like the acu-doc said: If you feel like it’s doing you some good, then it probably is!

*****

If you have any questions about my experience with Maya Abdominal Massage, please feel free to comment below, or email me directly, and I would be happy to help as best I can!

58 comments on “Maya Abdominal Massage”

This is super interesting… the popping endo adhesions is a little weird… if that’s all it took, why would we have surgery? But the tilted uterus and out of place ovary is pretty cool to hear has been confirmed via ultrasound. I’m with you, if you can get past the weird, it sounds like it can’t hurt, and can hopefully help! Wishing you the best!

Hmm. It doesn’t seem that weird to me. We get fibrous adhesions in all the muscles of our body- the knots that show up in our shoulders, for example. Massage can make them go away, why not abdominal adhesions or masses? I had an ultrasound that showed numerous ovarian cysts. I used acupuncture/herbs and Mayan abdominal massage instead of the recommended drugs. My cycles became more regular and less painful and a followup ultrasound showed no cysts. The imaging is nice proof, but sometimes experience is all you need, no?

Wow! This does sound sort of out there but I would absolutely give it a try. Abdominal massage is certainly not a foreign concept in the infertility world. I really wonder if she can get the uterus back to where it should be … I have a tilted uterus, too, and it’s caused me a bit of trouble.

I’m a Maya Abdominal Therapist based in the Atlanta area and I just had to say thank you so much for this post! It’s so helpful for us as practitioners to be reminded of how we might be perceived (and to make sure to tone it down so as not to scare womenfolk looking for alternatives off!)

I love my work empowering and offering hope to women who otherwise have been stressed and stretched beyond what they thought they were capable of (mentally, emotional, physically, and in many cases financially) I’ve pretty much come to terms with my own brand of woo-woo weirdness… and those I meet in my line of work have come to appreciate the experience of stepping outside of the mainstream thought-box a little so I guess it can’t be too bad!

Best and well wishes to everyone on the fertility journey…. I know it’s a tough road and am so glad there’s so much good support out there that helps you not feel so alone.

I don’t think any of the techniques used by my practitioner “scared” me in any way, but coming from a cold, sterile, clinical environment of doctors and nurses, the warm, personalized, and sometimes… “alternative” treatment methods of abdominal massage can feel a bit on the magical fairydust side of things. 😉

That being said, I have an open mind, and I think most women in my position do as well. I’m eager to give this therapy a chance, and to see what it can do for me both in this state of encouraging reproductive health, and beyond.

Thanks again for stopping by, and I hope if anyone reading is in the Atlanta area, they will connect with you for more information! 🙂

Thank you! This is such important work and am so grateful to those trying and sharing about it… it’s not necessarily the be all to end all but it does fall into the “First Do No Harm” edict held dear by wellness practitioners all over the world.

On the one hand it’s sad the state of affairs in how much stress and frustration goes hand-in-hand with Reproductive Medicine…. on the other it inspires/demands women like yourself to seek out something that offers both a slight paradigm shift coupled with some relaxation and sense of well-being. So glad you’re getting hope, empowerment and the deep relaxation these sessions offer and look forward to hearing more as your story continues to unfold.

And if anyone in the Atlanta area reads this I’m happy to offer a free 30 minute phone consultation- drop by my website and we’ll go from there.

I recently had massage with Reid Forrester and it was great. I was only able to get 2 sessions in and feel pretty good so far. I am hoping I really don’t need to follow up next month. Fingers crossed for a little miracle.

Thank you for posting this article! I’m an ATMAT practitioner and it is so valuable to hear how ATMAT is perceived by the public. ATMAT practitioners come from different areas of expertise, some are RN’s, LMTs, ND’s, acupuncturists, or midwives, so everyone brings something different into the sessions. Some are more spiritually focused and some are more focused on the physical, or a combination of both. I wrote an article on uterine position and ATMAT from a more biomechanical standpoint. There is also a link to images of someone doing ATMAT self-care massage during an ultrasound. Which is pretty cool. Her is the article in case you are interested.http://alignmentmonkey.nurturance.net/2013/can-the-uterus-be-trained
Good luck on your journey. Keep us posted! I look forward to reading more.

It’s so great to hear from someone in the field! Thank you so much for the link and information – I’m excited to take a look at the ultrasound images especially!

From what I have experienced so far, not many people have heard of abdominal massage, or if they have, they associate it with pregnancy massage in some way. I’m glad to be able to educate people on the patient experience to the best of my humble abilities, but it’s very nice to hear from someone on the clinical end as well.

Thanks again for the information and for stopping by! I’ll definitely update as my progress continues! 🙂

I did this for a few months and also enjoyed it. My massage therapist kept talking to my uterus and calling it a “she”. But, hey, it all felt pretty good and I was super relaxed. Unfortunately I have still not had any luck, but I’m pretty sure at this point, my eggs are the big problem. I’m interested in doing some of the homework she suggested (did the castor oil pack – messy but relaxing), but it requires some investing in stools with holes in them…

Also Tracy, I am not sure of your history, but Dr. Braverman in NY might be worth looking into. He’s an immune doctor. I just had testing done with him but haven’t received my results yet. Best of luck to you!!!

Hi! I love your blog, and I’m just wondering… do you feel that the Maya Abdominal Massage helped you ultimately get pregnant?

Reading your blog, I’m surprised by how crazily similar our stories are. I, too, went through a few years of treatments with fertility doctors, only to get pregnant after scrapping it all and going with acupuncture and TCM for 8 months. We thought we had discovered the ‘magic formula’ for conceiving a full-term baby, but we’re having the same problems again as we’re now a year and a half into trying for #2.

We’re thinking that we need to add something else to the mix, so I’m interested to hear how much you think the Maya therapy contributed to your current pregnancy.

I just want to check in again in case anyone is reading these comments and considering Maya Therapy.

I feel like it was the final piece of the puzzle for us! I have always known I have a tilted uterus, and the Maya Massage was exactly what I needed to get things in order.

After just one session, the changes to my body were incredible. It’s like I went through a second puberty! My Maya therapist explained that this is because many of my organs were receiving restricted blood flow my entire life due to the placement of my uterus. Now that the blood could flow freely, everything was able to function as it should.

After two sessions, I understood what everyone has been talking about when they refer to menstrual cramps. They’re NOT an excruciating, twisting sensation that leave you out of your mind and vomiting from the pain; they’re just… cramps. I can’t believe that only two sessions made such a change in my pain level and the type of pains I felt.

I wish I could report how the third session changed my cycle, but I never ended up scheduling the third one – because I got pregnant!!

After YEARS of infertility, it amazes me that two months worth of massage and self-care could result in a baby.

AMAZING!! Thank you for writing this blog post. This was the first time I heard of Maya Massage, and it literally changed my life!!

I just want to second this: I’ve always been told I had a tilted uterus and have tried tons of stuff over the year to deal with my heavy flow and very very painful cramps–after two uterus massages I had my first pain-free cycle of my life (with just some gentle, gentle cramping as you say–so different than cramps that make me crawl on the floor) and then now I got pregnant within the last cycle! I was doing yoni steams throughout those two cycles also, which I think helped further what the massage did.

This is really wonderful for women who have been told they have a tilted uterus–worth it for sure. Years of herbs, acupuncture, and tons of other stuff helped me, but never did what this bodywork did. Take a chance! Now I’m going to be a mom!!

Thank you so much for posting your experience with Maya Massage. Due to fibroid removal I now have abdominal adhesions. I have had three surgeries over the space of two years. The first was open because my fibroids were allowed to get too big; I had a laparotomy. The last two was to remove a ovarian cyst that was larger than my uterus which is when the adhesions were discovered and the third as to deal with another possible cyst. The last two surgeries were laparoscopy. However, it turned out, I had a pocket of scar tissue collecting fluid. My organs were compressed, it was pretty bad. Prior to the surgery I did request my surgeon to use seprafilm this time. He was also suppose to consult with a general surgeon to help remove the adhesions. While he did use the seprafilm, he told me a day before surgery he didn’t need any assistance.

I’ve been working with a practitioner to help break up the adhesions. However, I can tell my organs are out of place, I can even feel something shift when I rest on my left side. This is what I was left with as a result of

I stumbled across a recommendation of Maya Massage after searching on ballet stretches for relieving adhesions. This sounds like exactly what I need and I’ve found a number of practitioners in my area. i can’t wait to try and hope to have good results.

For other ladies reading. If you have any sort of pelvic surgery, request your surgeon use seprafilm and keep your organs moist during surgery. It may save you a world of hurt.

Hi! I actually went to Body & Sole in Perrysburg. Yvonne is certified for Maya Abdominal Massage, and is generally just a wonderful lady! Please let me know if you end up going to see her, as I’d be interested in your experience as well. 🙂

Hi Evelyn! That’s great that you are getting the Maya Abdominal Massage Therapies! I actually only was able to complete two months, back to back. I did not get pregnant that third month – I had to take a break because the timing of when my period arrived and when the masseuse was available did not work in November, and in December and January, the holidays got in the way. I ended up conceiving that March. I was on an acupuncture and Chinese herbal regimen at the same time as I was doing the massage therapy, so I believe both helped in the process, but both took time to work. I wish you luck and success as well!

Hi Lisa – sorry for the slow response! You’d want to check with a licensed therapist to be sure, but I believe you can have the treatment before the IUI. They time the massage treatments so that you have them between the time your period ends and when your ovulatory period would begin. You would not want to have the treatment after ovulation or IUI because it could interfere with fertilization or implantation.

Hi Kimi! It’s hard to say if the massage therapy itself made the difference, or a combination of therapy and the acupuncture/TCM routine I had been using at the time, but I definitely noticed a difference! The massage therapist told me to expect the period after my first treatment to be very heavy and “clotty”, and it was. She also said it could last longer than usual, which it did – almost 9 days beginning to end! The cycles after that, however, I noticed were lighter, more consistent, fewer clots, and almost no cramping whatsoever, which was a huge change for me.

I have actually been considering pursuing abdominal massage with the same therapist again postpartum, as I’m almost a year out from my daughter’s birth and my cycles have not returned to normal. I will be sure to update if I do! 🙂

I am wondering if this would be a possible treatment if you are overweight. Are they able to feel the organs, etc if you have a big belly? I have PCOS, endometriosis, and my left tube is blocked, so I have been looking into anything that will help. But, I’m worried it will be a SUPER awkward situation if the massage therapist is like, “yeah, you’re too big for this…”

Hi Dee! Yvonne at Body and Sole Massage in Perrysburg is the only practitioner I know of, but she may not be with the studio any longer. I have had people tell me that the studio will give out her contact info if you call them, though! Good luck!

I am a MT, and have done many Abdominal Massage’s for Post TT, Surgical, and anxiety. I have had client ask me “if ” Massage would fertility; coinciding Adhesion’s, ect
Very interested in your experience, also wondering if there is a update?

Hi Catrina, I had a great experience, and although it was several months later when I conceived, I do believe that Maya Abdominal Massage helped me. I believe that the massage therapy combined with acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine were the keys to restoring my fertility. I would never hesitate to recommend massage, so long as the MT was certified, well-educated, and experienced with fertility massage, or with Maya Abdominal Massage specifically.

Hi Tracy, I read your blog about Maya Abdominal massage in February of this year. I had been going for acupuncture and taking traditional medicinal herbs since October 2015. After reading your blog, I decided to seek out a maya abdominal massage therapist near me. I live in Michigan and I found a massage therapist that lives in Ohio, but she works out of a spa in Michigan thats not too far from Ohio. I scheduled my first appointment for April 15, 2016. My session was similar to yours. Her and I sat and went over the paperwork prior to the session. I laid on a nice warm massage table. She not only did the maya abdominal massage she also did polarity therapy as well. She gave me a full body massage that I continue to long for to this day. I found out on April 28, 2016 that I am pregnant. I was in total shock. Just like you I believe a combination of the acupuncture, TCM, and maya abdominal massage played a huge role in helping me conceive naturally at 40 years old. I am so thankful that I came across your blog and reading it lead me to get a maya abdominal massage. I continue to remain in contact with the therapist. She will start back giving me the maya abdominal massages after I am out of my first trimester so anytime after 12 weeks. I not only met a great Mayan therapist, I have made a friend she’s truly a divine connection.

Good Afternoon! What is the name and number of your maya abdominal masseuse? I live in Michigan and Toledo is not far. I’ve been trying to have a baby for years and I’m willing to try anything. Both my sister’s just had babies so it makes it difficult but I know there is answer and someone that can help.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Kim

Hi Kim! I am unsure whether she is still practicing with the same salon, but last I heard, if you call Body & Sole in Perrysburg, OH, and tell them you are trying to reach Yvonne for a abdominal massage, they should be able to help.

If not, let me know and I will see if I can find more information! Best of luck!

Hi Kim, The Mayan Massage Therapist name is Linda Green. She lives in Ohio, but she will come to Temperance Michigan, which is not far from Toledo, to give Mayan Abdominal Massages. She works out of a spa in Temperance. Her email address is Linda@omnigreen.com. I will text her to see if I can share with you her phone number. If so, I will respond back to the post with her number to call.

Hi Christina, I just finished reading your post after doing some search for a Mayan Abdominal Massage therapist in Michigan. I believe this was a sign for me because I have done searches in the past and nothing will come up. I know this is an old post but I wanted to ask you if I could contact your therapist Linda Green, that is of course assuming she is still working as a therapist. Also if you don’t mind me asking who is the acupuncturist you were seeing? If you could also share his/her name and where is located at?

Hi my question is did you start your period earlier or later that usual? I also did the massage and it kinda sounds like your experience, and it was 26 days ago and my period came 2 days earlier, so I’m wondering if it’s normal and if this happened to other people. Another thing is that my period is dark and not cloting but very unusual…

Hi, I know this is an old article you posted Bout the Mayan massage. I have my first appointment coming up in 3 weeks for fertility/miscarriage reasons. Do you mind telling me how u feel after years of continuing the massage? Do u feel any difference? Are you a mother now? Thank you

I actually only had this done for three cycles, and I was doing it while seeing a Chinese medicine practitioner for acupuncture. I conceived in April 2014, a few months after this post, and am now a mother to a wild four and a half year old girl. 🙂

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I'm Tracy. I'm a thirty-something, happily married miscarriage survivor, who tried just about everything possible to conceive for over five years, is currently parenting our miracle baby girl, and blogging about the hilarity of it all.

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